Five Wheels for the Cure!

Zoe has wanted to make this a charity ride for some time.  We kicked around a bunch of possibilitiess but nothing really stuck.  Then we learned that her Aunt Muffy (aka Kellie), Lisa’s sister, has breast cancer and the choice was obvious.  Kellie (you’ll have to ask her about the Muffy name) is a 41 year old mother of two great kids, Turner and Courtney.  She was diagnosed with Ductile Carcinoma and has already undergone a mastectomy.  She is about to begin chemotherapy and eventually radiation treatment.  In the picture below, Turner is showing his solidarity with his mom and the anticipated side effects of the upcoming treatment.  When Lisa shaves her head I’ll post the picture here.  For my head, there’s not much more I can do…

Given the currently modest reach of this blog we’ll go with a similarly modest goal of $1000.   When the ride is over in August we’ll pick a Boise chapter of a breast cancer non- profit organization and donate 100% of the proceeds to it.  I’ll announce the charity we pick here.

To make a pledge, just leave a comment here.   Make sure I have your email address–  if you leave it in the comment form it will be visible only to me. You can pledge by the mile, a single amount, or any other way you want.  Keep in mind our goal for the ride is 5,000 miles and our current route is around 5300 miles so calculate accordingly.  I’ll use 5000 miles for planning purposes and will not include side trips or horribly botched navigation in the mileage calculation.

Here are some pictures of the family.  Kellie’s husband Darin is pictured at the bottom.  Darin created the business cards for our ride—Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 December, 2012

At long last, we’ve decided where to donate the money Zoe raised to fight breast cancer.  Our original intent was to find a research-oriented program, but when we came across the Mountain States Tumor Institute, Zoe thought this was the best use of the money.  They have a compelling mission that directly benefits women in Idaho.  It is operated by St. Luke’s Health Foundation here in Boise.  Here is some information about the program:

Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI) is a very special place where thousands of adults and children benefit from the remarkable range of medical services and treatment available at our cancer clinics. With increased need for financial assistance to obtain a mammogram, this funding is more important than ever before. This fund saves lives.

I want to share the words of one woman who has benefited from the generosity of those who have contributed to this fund.  “Thank you!!  For the gift of peace of mind and body. First of all, it is very scary to hear you have breast cancer, but it is also scary to lose your job and your health insurance a few years after you are diagnosed and you can’t find the cash for your check-up mammogram. Thank you for providing me the calm assurance that I can make a few more months with a clean bill of health. Thank you to people and programs that provide these life saving, peace giving, love extending diagnostics. When I get back on my feet again I will provide the gift to someone also. Thank you for the tender break.”

Here is another thank you from a grateful patient: “I want to thank everyone involved with the St. Luke’s Breast Care Services for the wonderful service they provide. I was reluctant to undergo this mammogram due to cost and fear of the outcome. I survive on $751 social security a month and knew I couldn’t afford the procedure nor the follow-up if there was ‘something’.  St. Luke’s stepped up and allowed me to have the mammogram without cost and I appreciate that! Everyone I dealt with treated me with kindness and respect. Thank you all”.

We’re now in the process of gathering the pledged donations, close to $2500!  If you made a pledge here, I’ll contact you via email with instructions on where to route the money, either to Zoe or directly to the program.  Either way, all the donations will go to the MSTI program as one lump sum coming from Zoe.  They’re planning to print one of those big checks that Zoe can present to them. 

Thanks to everyone who pledged!